1. Field of Invention
Vehicles are manufactured with lighting packages designed to meet the requirements of the specifications which govern the vehicle. The governing specification typically depends upon the function of that vehicle. For example, a typical commercial truck has requirements regarding stoplights, reflectors, turn signals, etc. A tow truck has many of those same requirements, plus it is required to have emergency warning lights. A military vehicle such as a Humvee is required to have a lighting package including clearance lights, turn signals, reflectors and blackout lights. There are instances were a vehicle includes a lighting package supplied by the manufacturer as part of the vehicle configured according to a planned function for that vehicle and the lighting package becomes inadequate because the vehicle is required to perform a new and different function. In these cases auxiliary lighting must be added to retrofit the vehicle to comply with the new function.
The National Guard is frequently called upon to help during national disasters. The vehicles they have at their disposal are military vehicles typified by the Humvee which are equipped with a basic military lighting package. The lighting package on these vehicles is inadequate for the emergency vehicle tasks that they are required to perform during national emergencies. It would therefore be very desirable to upgrade the lighting on these vehicles with auxiliary lights during a national emergency. The National Guard has been looking for a solution for this problem.
In addition to the needs of the National Guard, military convoys of regular Army units require auxiliary warning lights to prevent accidents on civilian streets. Easily installed temporary auxiliary emergency lights for military vehicles would be beneficial for protection of Army convoys as well.
On many occasions the requirement for auxiliary lighting is only temporary. Therefore it is desirable that the auxiliary lights be quickly installed on the vehicle with common tools. In addition, it is often required that the auxiliary lights be removed from the vehicle with little effort and in such a way that the vehicle is returned to its original form and function. Returning the vehicle to its normal function is important because vehicles such as the Humvee are assigned to National Guard units so that if they are deployed overseas they will have military specification vehicles with military lighting for their mission. It is therefore normally not acceptable to leave civilian national disaster type lighting on the military vehicles or to modify the vehicles such that they may become unacceptable for combat operations
As part of its effort to support civilian authorities the National Guard uses Humvees and other military vehicles as emergency vehicles. Unfortunately for that function the vehicle lighting supplied by the manufacturer complying with the military specifications covering the Humvee is inadequate. In order to prevent the Humvees from being involved in an accident while performing civilian duties auxiliary lights should be added to the vehicle.
There are problems which inhibit the upgrading or retrofitting military vehicles so that they can perform as civilian emergency vehicles. The military imposes substantial limitations regarding modification of its vehicles including the Humvee. Vehicles cannot be modified such that the modification will reduce its ability to function at a later time in a military environment. In addition during natural disasters there is minimal time and manpower available for adding auxiliary lighting to the military vehicles.
The required auxiliary lighting can include flood, warning clearance or identification lights. The lights must be mounted on the vehicle such that they are positioned to direct their light beams as required to achieve the task that the lights are required to perform. Attaching the lights to the vehicle must be accomplished quickly, with a minimum of tools and usually without vehicle modification. Additionally it is often required that the auxiliary lights be removed quickly, with a minimum of tools and without modification of the vehicle.
Also the auxiliary lights must be positioned on the vehicle at locations which permit their emerging light to be projected in the required direction without obstruction.
Also the auxiliary lights should be positioned at locations on the vehicle not subject to damage as the vehicle is used. In this regard placing the lights at locations where opening a tailgate or door can damage them should be avoided.
Finally, it is desirable for the auxiliary lights be mounted near the corners of the vehicle to properly identify the perimeter of the vehicle to further reduce the possibility of accidents.
2. Prior Art
The National Guard community has been looking for a way to add auxiliary lighting to their vehicles because without auxiliary lights during civilian emergencies, their vehicles are vulnerable to accidents.
Volunteer fireman purchase their vehicles for their personal needs. However, during an emergency these personal vehicles can be required to function as emergency vehicles. In that capacity these personal vehicles must be protected by upgrading their vehicular lighting with high-power emergency warning lights to avoid accidents. One common solution to this problem is a temporary light attached to the vehicle roof with a magnet on the base of the light. The fireman simply places the light on the metal roof of his vehicle when an emergency arises. Thus without modifying the vehicle, the vehicle is equipped with high-power emergency lighting. A second prior art solution is a light attached to the interior window of the vehicle with suction cups. The suction cup design can be mounted on the front side or rear windows of a vehicle. It is frequently left in position during normal vehicle use but only illuminated during emergencies. It also is an acceptable commercial solution because it does not require modification of the vehicle.
The previously described prior art commercial solutions are not acceptable when trying to attach auxiliary lighting to most military vehicles. The Humvee vehicle employed by the military is an example of a vehicle that is very difficult to retrofit because its design deters using the civilian solutions as workable lighting upgrades. The body of the Humvee, for the most part, is non-magnetic and therefore a supplementary or auxiliary light cannot be attached using magnets. Also, many Humvees do not typically include side or rear glass windows, thereby preventing the use of glass window mounted suction cup lights to identify those portions of the vehicle. In addition, there are regulations which inhibit the National Guard from modifying military vehicles. Drilling holes in the vehicle to accept the auxiliary lighting would be problematic.